Pre-Convention Workshops

Tuesday, September 17

These workshops were available prior to the start of the Convention:

Eastern Market Tour: Come Hungry-Leave Happy9:00 am – 12:00 pm
The tour visited historic Eastern Market on market day! Attendees strolled from shed to shed and visited specialty stores to learn about unique products, hear fun facts and history of the area, while going behind the scenes and sampling various foods. They got to know local growers and vendors, their products, and some tips for improving health with Michigan foods. They also visited an art gallery located in a former brewery.

Most Common OMA & FOIA Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
1:00-4:00 pm
Have questions about the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act? Foster Swift has you covered. Municipal officials need to know these Acts like the back of their hand. But both are filled with nuances that can easily lead to innocent missteps that result in time-consuming headaches, bad publicity, and even costly and potentially damaging litigation. Attorneys from Foster Swift's municipal team covered the most common OMA and FOIA pitfalls, and ways to avoid them.

Finding Funding: Preparing Your Municipality for the Next Decade1:00-4:00 pm
Prein&Newhof presented resources and discussion-generating ideas to help elected officials, council members, city managers, and staff charged with financial change responsibilities. Brainstorming questions included:
• Are you seeking 5% or more of your general operating budget from private sector funding sources?
• How can you find private sector funding partners?
• Have you set up a nonprofit community improvement fund or collaborated with a nonprofit partner to maximize your private sector grants and contributions?
• Is your website set-up for online contributions?
• Does your website have a community partner’s page with links?
• Did you apply for and win a grant to attend this year’s conference?